Eagles' Asomugha passes along Obama's advice for Vick

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - President Obama apparently feels the same as many Eagles fans when they see Michael Vick scrambling downfield without any fear.

Nnamdi Asomugha spoke at an event for Obama on Monday in Oakland and introduced the president. They spoke afterward about football, according to the Eagles cornerback, and the leader of the free world had some advice for the leader of the Eagles.

"He told me to tell Vick to slide," Asomugha said Wednesday after he reported to Lehigh University for the start of training camp.

Really?

"Promise," Asomugha said. "We talked about football for about three or four minutes, and the one thing that stuck out: 'Tell Vick to slide.' He's a big fan."

Vick responded to Obama's request on Twitter.

"If the President of the U.S. is saying I need to slide then I really need to start sliding. lol. Thanks Mr. President!" Vick wrote.

Asomugha has met Obama before. The 31-year-old also considers former president Bill Clinton a confidant. Asomugha has attended the Clinton Global Initiative University in Austin, Texas, since 2009 to discuss the importance of global service and student activism.

The worldly cornerback, who has many interests outside football, said he also visited London and Tokyo this offseason. Monday's event in Oakland was for Obama, Asomugha said.

"I was able to get everybody excited," Asomugha said about introducing Obama. "That was a big moment. It's been an interesting summer."

Looking for an edge, or perhaps a reason to zip up and seal themselves off from the rest of the team, Jason Babin and Trent Cole brought their portable hyperbaric chambers with them to camp.

Babin's chamber needed about four helpers to carry into one of the dorms at Lehigh. Babin and Cole, the Eagles' starting defensive ends, are entering their ninth and eighth seasons in the NFL, respectively.

Defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins said he gave his teammates a little flak for needing the extra dose of oxygen that a hyperbaric chamber is meant to provide.

"I'm on my ninth year, so obviously I must be doing something right," said Jenkins, who prefers the oxygen he can breathe in from the air. "So I'll just stick to my air-condition and TV regimen."

DeSean Jackson wasn't much interested in talking about whether his new contract will mean he will be less distracted than he was last year. But Jackson did give the indication that he and the Eagles are coming into camp with a chip on their shoulders after their NFC East rivals, the New York Giants, won a Super Bowl in February.

"To see the Giants win the Super Bowl last year and just to know how we play against them," Jackson said, "it kind of bothers me a lot."

The Eagles have beaten the Giants in seven of their last eight meetings. The two teams meet Sept. 30 at Lincoln Financial Field and then in the season finale Dec. 30 at the Meadowlands.